I have not thought about Scouting in quite a while.Thinking about it made me miss it.I enjoyed being in the woods passing on a pittance of knowledge to the boys.I think one of my greatest accomplishments was walking the Eagle trail with my sons.

Camping in the snow was both fun and a bitch at the same time. The Klondike Derby was a wonderful winter activity and competition to engage in. To this day I look at ice rescues on TV or film and shake my head at the people attempting them. Almost everyone fails to use the simplest and safest procedures during them.

Time to get up, you're not dead yet...but you certainly will be if you don't move your ass!

The most basic way is to slide across the ice on your stomach with your legs and arms spread out. Dispersing your body weight that way reduces the surface pressure you create. Having a rope tied to you and something on shore helps if it is available. Another good thing to have is a long pole or stick as well. That way if the ice breaks you can use it to hold yourself up with it across the hole created. It also can be used to reach out further to someone who has fallen in. If a rope is tied to it you can slide it to them so they can hold on or tie to themselves if possible. The best thing if available(like rescue people or a shoreside home) is a ladder. slide that across in front of you or hold it horizontally to assist yourself on the way out to the person that fell in. The more weight is distributed evenly and far out from yourself, the better your chances are.

There are a lot more possibilities, dealing with moving water is a whole different ballgame too!

Time to get up, you're not dead yet...but you certainly will be if you don't move your ass!

Got stuck in the snow while camping once, in the first week of June. We drank way too much and passed out, woke up soaking wet and surrounded by snow. The ranger came to find us because we were past due on our fire permit. Got out of there (6,600 ft elevation) and hit the laundry in a town on the way down the mountain. Decided we wanted to fish some more so camped on a lake at about 1,000 ft elevation. Caught trout all day, then drank too much again while fishing for catfish and decided to stay longer on account of the rather large catfish we were catching and the clear weather. Woke up in the tent laying in about six inches of water. That just sucked ass. Tossed all the gear in the trunk as fast as we could and headed home which was around 160 miles away.Ever take a ride that long while wearing soaked clothing and boots? Absolutely miserable.By the way, we forgot the fish and left all of them behind.I pay much more attention to the weather after that fiasco.

I'm actually at the end of a three day trip. I made my own ration packs this go round. I took a Mountain House meal for dinner, a pound of homemade trail mix, a cup of oatmeal, a pack of instant coffee and a pack of Top ramen. Doing a ten miles a day through the variety of terrain that the Croatan offered me I burned up most of that. Those packs offered me 3000 calories a day for the equivalent weight of one MRE which is maybe 1400 depending on the one you get. I also brought out some tea and a bit of bourbon too.

He who wears the cloth, will always wear the cloth, and those that wear the cloth will always have a brother in me.